V.I. Police on St. John arrested two suspects who shot at each other near Kilroy’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning in Cruz Bay around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 19.
Although several people were in the area at the time of the afternoon gunfire exchange, no one was injured. Less than five hours after the 3 p.m. shooting, VIPD officials had located and arrested the suspects.
VIPD arrested Aswad Pickering, age 25, of Estate Enighed and 24-year-old Arthur Hercules, of Estate Carolina, at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, and charged both men with Possession of an Unlicensed Firearm, Illegal Discharge of a Firearm and Third Degree Assault.
According to the police report, shortly after 3 p.m. July 19, concerned citizens reported that two persons were firing shots at each other near the high-traffic Cruz Bay laundromat.
The suspects fled the scene before police arrived and VIPD questioned several witnesses in the vicinity. Based on the descriptions of the suspects and the reports of ongoing feuds between the suspects, police searched several locations they were known to frequent. The suspects were eventually located in Estate Pine Peace and arrested without incident.
VIPD St. John Deputy Chief Darren Foy sent his congratulations to the community and police.
“Once again I would like to thank the general public for providing the information that led to the arrests of the individuals involved in this shooting that could have severely hurt many individuals,” said Foy. “I also want to thank the St. John officers and the St. Thomas officers who came over to assist in capturing the suspects involved in this serious crime. It goes to show that the police department and public working together will always bring about positive results.”
Bail for Pickering and Hercules was set at $60,000 each by order of the court and they were remanded to the Bureau of Corrections pending further court action.
